Additional Coverage:
- Stradivarius violin crafted at ‘pinnacle’ of maker’s career over 300 years ago sells for eye-popping price (foxnews.com)
A Stradivarius violin, crafted in 1714 during the peak of Antonio Stradivari’s career, fetched a staggering $11.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City.
The violin, known as the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius,” is from Stradivari’s “golden period,” a time when his mastery of acoustics and craftsmanship was unparalleled. Sotheby’s described the instrument as representing the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history.
Mari-Claudia Jimenez, chair at Sotheby’s, noted the violin’s exceptional sound and history, adding that the sale price is one of the highest ever achieved for a musical instrument.
The violin’s name comes from two of its most prominent owners: 19th-century Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, and Chinese musician Si-Hon Ma. Following Ma’s death in 2009, his estate donated the instrument to the New England Conservatory in Boston.
The conservatory plans to use the proceeds to establish a student music scholarship fund. Andrea Kalyn, president of the New England Conservatory, called the sale “transformational” and said it will create the largest named endowed scholarship in the conservatory’s history.
While Sotheby’s had estimated the violin could sell for as much as $18 million, the bidding stopped at $10 million after 30 minutes. The final price of $11.3 million includes fees. This falls short of the record $15.9 million paid for the “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius in 2011.
Adding to its historical significance, the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius was played during the 1879 premiere of Johannes Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major.”